In the European Union the number of unemployed persons in the 25 member countries reaches 20 million or 9% of the manpower.Until now, no matter which measures have been taken, nobody managed to wipe out unemployment. Even in periods of high rate of development in Europe, unemployment is not reduced but it remains in steady high levels.The European Union tried at times with various ways to confront unemployment. In 1994 the European Councidrew up a report in Essen (Germany) relating to this issue. In this report it was pointed out that unemployment in Europe has precisely a structural character (in other words it can not be confronted simply by accelerating the rate of growth), adopting a programme of targets concerning the education and training and instituting a status of voluntary part-time employment offering incentives of work reorganization systems which will combine the reduction of work time with new engagements etc.Some of the countries applying these measures reduced unemployment drastically such as Ireland (from 14.3% in 1944 to 4.5% in 2005) and Denmark (from 8.2% to 5.4%).In the Amsterdam Conference (1997) for the first time a resolution on employment was adopted providing among other that “the social protection systems must be streamlined so that their operation becomes stronger thus contributing to the competitiveness, employment and development creating a stable base for social cohesion”. Furthermore the report pointed out that “emphasis should be given to the effectiveness of the labour market and products, to technological innovation and to the dynamic creation of new work positions by the small and medium enterprises”.Then, since the pledges in practice could not confront radically the problem of unemployment, in March 2000 during the Conference of the European Council in Lisbon the leaders of the member – countries of the European Union (E.U.) committed to materializing specific economic and social targets constituting the economy of the E.U. the most dynamic and competitive in the world by year 2010.The strategy of Lisbon, as it has since then become known, concerns the promotion of a mass of economic, social and institutional reforms in the member – countries of E.U. targeting in the creation of those conditions which will allow th E.U. to become the first economic power by year 2010.The main element in this Strategy was the increase of the rate of growth and, in consequence, the increase of employment.To this effect the following quantitative targets have been approved:

Overall Employment

To reach 67% in 2005 and, as close as possıble, to 70% in 2010.

Employment of Women

To reach 57% in 2005 and over 60% in 2010.

Employment

Between 55 and 64 years of age to reach 50% in 2010.

Umemployed

- To every unemployed young person be offerred the possibility of a new start before the lapse of 6 months unemployment and 12 months for adults (new start could be training, retraining or placement in vacant posts).

- Until 2010, the 25% of the long term unemplpoyed to participate in a relevant programme.

Education and for life learning

- Until 2010at least 85% of the persons over the age of 22 in the E.U. should have completed the higher level of the tertiary education.

- Until 2010 the average level of participation in the life learning should at least be 12.5% of the adult economically active population (25-16 years of age).

Extension of the Occupational life

- Until 2010 extension by 5 years of the real retirement age from the labour market (in 2001 this age was 59.9 years).

- Abolition of the incentives for retirement from the labour market mainly with reform of the systems for premature pension.

Racial Equality

In order to achieve a beter combination of occupational and private life it must until 2010, be offerred care services for children to:

- At least 90% of children from the age of 3 until the starting time of the obligatory education and at least to 33% of the children under 5 years of age.

- At least 33% of children under the age of 3.

Examining the Lisbon strategy, its targets and objectives, we consider that it lacks social element, as well as targets that will constitute Europe a more human, fair and more open to its citizens.We believe that the social cohesion should have constituted the basic keystone of the Lisbon Strategy and not the outcome of achieving economic targets.Specifically we stress that the word “flexibility” is continuously repeated within the texts of the Lisbon Strategy in relation is interpreted as deregulation of work, as an undermine of the role of collective agreements, and as an application of such forms of employment that will reduce the cost of labour for employers and increase the exploitation of employees.